The sterile room haunted him. The white walls, ceiling,
floor and occasional pieces of furniture. The beeping from machines rang in his ears,
screaming at him. He closed the door behind him and looked around the room before
stopping at the motionless body laying in the hospital bed.

Isaac’s head was spinning as he just stood by the door
staring at Cassandra. He watched her chest rise and fall. “Cassandra.” He breathed as
his voice cracked. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He slowly scooted his feet across the tile floor up to
Cassandra’s electric bed. He took her hand in his being careful not to pull out an IV or
any other cord attached to her. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

“The doctor told me to talk to you, that you can hear me.”
Isaac’s eyes scanned her body. He saw her head was wrapped in gauze. That was the
main trama. He didn’t notice anything but lacerations on her checks, forehead and her
lip was split. “What happened out there?” He asked knowing no answer would be given.

“I love you. You have to come back, babe. You have to
fight.” Isaac squeezed her hand as he heard the door to the room open. Isaac looked up
at the nurse entering the room as she looked sympathetically at him.

“I’m just doing my rounds.” She spoke as she checked all
the machines and IV’s hooked up to Cassandra.

Isaac nodded he head as he looked back down at
Cassandra.

“She’s very pretty.” The nurse hooked up a new IV bag.

“She is.” Isaac agreed smiling.

“Do you want me to get you a chair?” She asked.

“If you tell me where they are I’ll go get one myself.”
Isaac told her.

“Nonsense. You stay with her and I’ll go get it.” The
nurse left the room coming back only seconds later with a padded wooden chair. “I got
you a special once since you look like you’ll be staying her for some time.”

“Thank you.” Isaac let go of Cassandra’s hand
momentarily while he grabbed the chair and made himself comfortable. He took her
hand back in both of his.

“Okay, I’m done here. I’ll be back in a half and hour or
so.” The nurse left.

“Did you hear that, Cassandra? She thinks your beautiful
just like I do.” Isaac raised his hand to her face and brushed a couple of stray hairs away.

“You better come back to me. I don’t know what I would
do without you. I couldn’t live without you. I can barely even stand seeing you like
this.” Isaac confessed. He bent down and kissed her hand.

“You know I’m probably going to get fired now? When
Tasha gave me your note I kinda ran out of the store. I don’t care what they do to me.
I’m glad I left. If they don’t understand that’s their problem, they can find a new bag
boy.” Isaac chuckled.

“I miss your laugh and your voice already, Cassandra.”
Isaac leaned his head on the side of the bed. “I know your going to pull through. Your
strong. You have so much more to live for.”

A few minutes past as he continued to rub his fingers
against her hand. “You think you’ll be in the paper? Boy it must have been scary going
down that cliff.” Isaac wasn’t quit sure what to say.

“I bet your dreaming of your mother. Your beautiful
mother. You know I’ve only seen one picture but you look just like her. I bet she’s
telling you everything is going to be okay and to come back to me.” Isaac lifted his head.
He ran his fingers down her jaw line. “I love you.” He put his head back down on top of
his and her and and fell into a restless sleep.

An hour or two later Isaac woke up to someone tapping his
shoulder. He perked up fast hoping it was Cassandra. He searched her face and then her
hands that lay still. It wasn’t her. He felt the tap again and turned around. There stood
the nurse that came in before.

“Hi.” Isaac whispered.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you go home and go to bed. We’ll
call you if anything happens.” The nurse looked down at him pleading with his eyes.

“No, I want to stay here.”

“You need to get some rest in your own bed. She’ll be
fine, I promise.” The nurse touched his shoulder again.

Isaac didn’t like to be touched much. If this was any other
situation he would have pulled away, but it wasn’t. His only love was laying powerless
and unconscious.

“I can’t go home. I live like and hour or two away.” Isaac
explained.

“How about a hotel?”

“I don’t have any money with me. Can’t I just stay here?
I’ll stay in the chair. I won’t move, won’t get in the way.”

The nurse looked from Isaac to Cassandra contemplating
the issue. He did live so far away. What if she woke up and he couldn’t come until two
hours later. It was definitely against hospital rules. “Fine, all right. But if someone see
you and you get in trouble I didn’t say you could. Don’t bring me into it kay?”

“Thank you. I promise.”

The nurse nodded her head once and smiled. “Your
welcome. Oh, and we’re moving her out of ICU. Why don’t you follow me?” The
nurse looked to the door as two orderlies entered.

“Where are they taking her?” Isaac asked.

“Fourth floor east wing.”

“Ahh.” Isaac brushed his hand over Cassandra’s arm and
shoulder as he followed the nurse out of the room.

“So what is your name?” The nurse asked.

“Isaac.” He looked down at the nursed name tag. “And
yours is Marge.”

“Correcto. Do you guys have a wedding date planed?”

The elevator jumped a little and the doors slid open. Isaac
followed Marge as they both stepped out of the elevator and continued down the long
hall.

“Actually, if I tell you something you promise not to tell or
kick me out?” Isaac whispered.

“Don’t tell me, your not her fiancée?” Marge raised her
eye brow.

“Exactly.”

“We get that a lot here but you, I would have though you
were really married.” They entered an empty room with a small cot.

Isaac smiled. “I do want to marry her.” He said. “I love
her.” He whispered. “Its just not the right time yet.”

“Well, she’ll be all set up here. There’s an extra cot there
for you.” Marge smiled. “I’ll go get a chair for you too.”

“Thank you.” Isaac said as Marge came back in the room
with a chair.

“All right, well I have other patients. Cassandra should be
here soon. See you two later.”

“Bye.”

Marge left Isaac alone to wait for Cassandra. Isaac stared
around the room, its four stark white walls and small window which overlooked the
parking lot. It was so quiet he could hear the blood pumping in his head. To distract
himself from this uncomfortable feeling Isaac began to hum.

Isaac jumped and was brought back to reality. He watched
as Cassandra, still sleeping, was pushed against the wall and hooked to the life saving
machines by the two orderlies.

The two men left without a word and Isaac pulled up the
chair next to Cassandra’s bed. “You have a nice nurse, you’re lucky.” Isaac spoke.
“When I was nine my appendix burst and I had to go into emergency. They took it out
and I had to stay in the hospital for about a week. I had the worst nurse you could
possibly have. She was very cranky. That experience has made me dread hospitals.
They give me the willies.”

“There’s something I have to tell you.” Isaac paused as he
brushed her hair with his hand. “I did something so stupid but I sorta wish it would have
worked, then you wouldn’t be laying here in a coma.” He shuffled his feet under the
chair. “You won’t even believe the thought went through my head, I can’t even believe
it. Ahh!” He breathed loudly. “I can’t even say it.”

Minutes passed and he still hadn’t said anything. “You’ll
hate me but I have to tell you. The reason you didn’t see me yesterday was because I
skipped sixth period and I went to “Electric T’s” where your dad goes. I ordered him the
only Chinese platter they had. Its the only thing I knew that had MSG in it. My mother
even served it to him, she didn’t know. He ate it but nothing happened.” Isaac took
another deep breath as he looked into her face. “Now you’re going to hate me, I know it.
But it didn’t work and I was doing it for you, for your protection. He was going to hurt
you. And then today taking you off to Oklahoma City on some whim. I didn’t even
know if I was going to see you again.” He wiped his hair from his face that was
becoming sticky with warmth. “So please don’t hate me. I love you.” Isaac kissed her
cheek.

In a way he hoped Cassandra had heard him understood
when she woke up. The other half wanted so bad to take it all back, hoping she would
wake up with amnesia and not remember one bit of it.

“Its late, babe. I think I’m going to take the bed over
there.” He nodded over to the bed even though Cassandra couldn’t see him. “I’ll see you
in the morning. You think you’ll wake tomorrow?” Isaac questioned. “Hopefully.” He
stood up from the chair and kissed her one last time on the lips delicately. He then
walked over to the spare bed and climbed up onto it. He didn’t take his shoes off or even
unstuck the neatly made bed to make himself more comfortable. He wasn’t too thrilled
about sleeping in a creepy hospital but he soon closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.